


Pursuit of the Princess

by ChainSmokesPens



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Flash Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28489194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChainSmokesPens/pseuds/ChainSmokesPens
Summary: Prompt: [WP] A knight and a witch form a tenuous alliance against a dragon being ridden by the princess they were trying to rescue and curse, respectively, but who is now hunting them down.





	Pursuit of the Princess

Justin was overcome with regret as his heavy armor limited his speed, gave away his position with the way it clicked and clanged against the stalagmites of the cave, and the jewels embedded in it reflected Stella's torch light, giving their position away to the pursuing wurm.  
"Snuff the light, witch!" he demanded, deflecting the responsibility onto his tenuous ally.  
Stella, for her part, was further ahead. Her torch stayed aloft as she gesticulated, the intricate motions of her hands unseen by the bumbling knight behind her.  
"Quit your whining," she responded, far too coolly for the situation they were currently in. "I'm trying to concentrate on this spell."  
"Your spells are what-" Justin began, but was interrupted by the rumble of collapsing stone behind him. The knight found that light was suddenly coming from behind him as well, a great hole of molten rock, glowing like the contents of a forge, crowned a new hole within the cave.  
The great wurm stepped out, body tubular, green, and scaled. Its eyes were tiny by comparison, and dimmed from a lifetime spend underground. Its wings, though likely vestigial, were still large enough to carry its bulk should it prove capable of flight. It lacked the sharp teeth of the drakes up above, but the three rows of molars it possessed could easily grind a knights armor to rubble. Molten rock dripped like honey from the edges of its mouth, hissing at contact with the cavern floor.  
Atop its back rode Princess Adele, the last of her lineage before her castle fell underground. She rode the monster like a pony giggling with glee at the sight of Justin's shining armor.  
"That way, Cobbler!" she cheered, turning the wurm to begin its pursuit.  
"Witch!" Justin nearly screamed.  
Stella ignored him. With her ritual finally completed, she clapped her hands together before pulling them apart, her means of escape materializing between her palms. The broom was long, with intricate carvings added by generations of her predecessors. The wood was carved from an ash struck by lightning and the straw at the base was grown in the fields of the goddesses.  
She hopped atop the broom, which began levitating at her thought. Now that she had a free hand, she reached into her blouse and extracted her wand. She turned to open fire at her pursuers.  
And her aim was thrown off by Justin clinging to the base of her broom. The crimson lightning crackled and misfired, blazing past both the princess and her mount.  
"What are you doing?" she demanded.  
Justin, almost surprised by this level of emotion from her, responded, "Saving myself since you refuse to be of any help."  
Stella nearly retorted, but turned her gaze upward to see the open mouth of the wurm nearly filling the whole of the cave. Glutinous strands of saliva hung between its teeth, bits of gravel caught in the mucus. Its tongues were each a deep purple and lashed about the surfaces of its maw.  
Stella found it a grotesque sight, though found it horrifying when they settled to the bottom of its mouth. As the tongues stopped moving, a small ember glow began to form at the back of the beast's throat.  
"Hold on." She slowed just enough so that Justin could pull himself up. When he was half secure, she shot off, a blast of flame in pursuit.  
"Where is your sword?" she asked the knight.  
"I left it outside on my horse," he answered, ducking to narrowly avoid being decapitated by a stalactite.  
"Why did you leave your sword with your horse?"  
"Women don't like when you bring a sword into their chambers."  
The mad cackling of the princess echoed through off the cave walls, even louder than the clawing of the wurm pushing its way through.  
Stella palmed her forehead. "You are unbelievable."  
"It's not like I was going to demand her chastity of her! But if she threw herself at me, I couldn't just deny her request."  
Justin was nearly flung off as Stella made a sharp turn. This path would make her trip longer, but if it managed to kill the perverted knight, it was worth it.  
Justin threw his arms around her waist, determined not to fall off. "And what were you planning to do with the princess, witch?"  
She bobbed and weaved through the maze of stone, avoiding the blasts of heat and thrown stones coming from behind. "I needed her heart for something I'm brewing."  
Justin gasped. "What kind of wicked concoction requires the heart of a maiden? What result could possibly be worth the sacrifice?"  
"Dinner."  
For a full half of a minute, Stella enjoyed the stunned silence of the knight. It let her concentrate on flying.  
When she felt him tug against her abdomen, the broom lurched up and slowed her down. "What the devil are you doing?"  
"A noble death to bring about an end to your villainy!"  
The two struggled against each other, shifting their weights, avoiding collisions, and narrowly escaping the maw of their pursuer.  
It all stopped when Justin spotted a light at the end of the tunnel. "Look! A way out."  
"Yeah, though it's not on a path I'm familiar with."  
"I am. I know this hole."  
Stella scoffed. "An imbecile like you has never known any hole."  
The wurm and the princess were beginning to close the distance.  
Justin brought his hand to his mouth and whistled. A white horse came and stood directly within the mouth of the cave.  
"Run, Bucephalus!" Justin demanded, leaning from the side of the broom and extending his hand.  
Stella turned to see the wurm, now even closer, sparks crackling at the back of its mouth. She pulled up, just avoiding collision with the horse, and reached for her wand again.  
With one hand, in one fluid motion, Justin spanked his horse to get it running and drew his sword from its place at the steed's side.  
The new weight and shifting balance proved too much for the witch to handle. The pair spiraled upward for a moment before being freed of the broom, the object dissipating before them.  
They both looked downward, to the mouth of the cave, Bucephalus moving out of the way just in time for the great wurm to rip through the entrance marginally too small for it. The princess rode its back, arms raised in excitement, laughing.  
In his left hand Justin raised his sword. In her right hand Stella raised her wand.  
One recited the oath he'd taken the day he was knighted and christened with his new name. One recited one of many ancient chants she'd learned from her masters.  
With a glow of runes and a tempest of magics a great pillar was formed between the two. A luminous blade of mana and vow, vibrating the air like a cloud attempting to withhold thunder.  
The princess' laughing stopped as the two heroes brought the great sword down.

**Author's Note:**

> I mean...it's pretty true to the prompt.


End file.
